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Horrific Disease Creeping into the US 10/27/15 via ANH

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
This is a kind of Halloween story, but it is a true one.

Chagas disease is the stuff of horror movies, but public health officials are doing very little to address it.

A rare and deadly tropical disease once thought to be limited to economically depressed regions of South America is now appearing in areas of the US Southeast—and the situation is worse than the government thinks. While the CDC estimates that just one in 300,000 Americans who donated blood was infected, a recent study predicted that one in 6,500 Americans who gave blood—fifty times more than the CDC’s estimate—were infected.

cont'd

http://www.anh-usa.org/horrific-disease-creeping-into-the-us/
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
The first duty of many public health officials seems to be to downplay the severity to avoid panic. In Lake Tahoe for example they had to face many angry comments from the business establishment because the outbreak was scaring away tourists.

AIDS was at first a non-issue.

Its only when confronted with overwhelming disaster that an underwhelming response finally happens, all too often.

Just look at chemical spills or other unexplained outbreaks. Denying existence of problems morphs to denying severity which morphs to denying responsibility. Such behaviour may need special laws, but, sadly, governments all over deny responsibility.
 

antares4141

Senior Member
Messages
576
Location
Truth or consequences, nm
The first duty of many public health officials seems to be to downplay the severity to avoid panic.

Just look at chemical spills or other unexplained outbreaks. Denying existence of problems morphs to denying severity which morphs to denying responsibility. Such behaviour may need special laws, but, sadly, governments all over deny responsibility.

Here's one good example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelford_water_pollution_incident

What get's me is when you try to hold them accountable they cry conspiracy monger, do everything they can to discredit you and whine that their being unfairly attacked. Doesn't matter how guilty they are. I see this with con artist's you catch them lying and they still manage to find a way to deny it. Doesn't matter if you know their lying as long as they know they can fool everyone else their is no shame.
 

antares4141

Senior Member
Messages
576
Location
Truth or consequences, nm
This is a kind of Halloween story, but it is a true one.

Chagas disease is the stuff of horror movies, but public health officials are doing very little to address it.

/

I live in SW New Mexico 100 miles N. of Juarez. My living situation most the time has been make shift housing I erected myself. I have a metal building now though. Managed only to get bit a few times. They leave a welt that itches really bad so good luck not scratching it. I read that they magically don't infect people north of the boarder cause they don't deficate on the bite area after feeding which seemed ludicrous to me. I was kind of hoping that maybe the reservoir for the parasite is in humans (because I live in the middle of nowhere) and that shorter lived organisms like rats and mice and dear might not harbor it as effectively.

I've found that they are attracted to light like other insects or strongly suspect it so I run a decoy light away from the building I stay in and close the screen door behind me every time I come or go. They almost seem intelligent in that they will set still until they sense they have been detected than the run very fast and are hard to smash. They hide in boxes and bedding and things like that during the day and come out and bite you at night while you are sleeping many times on the head chest and face which is where they got the name kissing bug.

I feel sorry for Mexicans who can't afford screens to protect themselves. I suspect it's rampant there.

I hope I don't have it. I figure at 56 I only have about 20 good years left and maybe they will have better options for people by than on the outside chance I might chug along into my 80's. Ha Ha Ha Like that's really gonna happen. I suppose I need to look into getting tested.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I live in SW New Mexico 100 miles N. of Juarez. My living situation most the time has been make shift housing I erected myself. I have a metal building now though. Managed only to get bit a few times. They leave a welt that itches really bad so good luck not scratching it. I read that they magically don't infect people north of the boarder cause they don't deficate on the bite area after feeding which seemed ludicrous to me. I was kind of hoping that maybe the reservoir for the parasite is in humans (because I live in the middle of nowhere) and that shorter lived organisms like rats and mice and dear might not harbor it as effectively.

I've found that they are attracted to light like other insects or strongly suspect it so I run a decoy light away from the building I stay in and close the screen door behind me every time I come or go. They almost seem intelligent in that they will set still until they sense they have been detected than the run very fast and are hard to smash. They hide in boxes and bedding and things like that during the day and come out and bite you at night while you are sleeping many times on the head chest and face which is where they got the name kissing bug.

I feel sorry for Mexicans who can't afford screens to protect themselves. I suspect it's rampant there.

I hope I don't have it. I figure at 56 I only have about 20 good years left and maybe they will have better options for people by than on the outside chance I might chug along into my 80's. Ha Ha Ha Like that's really gonna happen. I suppose I need to look into getting tested.

Wow, hope you don't get it, or already have it!

GG
 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
Chagas disease is already in the US, in animals. It's also spreading as ecosystems are altered by climate change.

Other diseases, such as chikungunya, are moving into the US. I imagine that the situation is similar in other parts of the world.
 

antares4141

Senior Member
Messages
576
Location
Truth or consequences, nm
Chagas disease is already in the US, in animals. It's also spreading as ecosystems are altered by climate change.

Other diseases, such as chikungunya, are moving into the US. I imagine that the situation is similar in other parts of the world.
I'm hoping that's not the case. Otherwise I probably am infected. I suppose I need to look into being tested. People always have this erroneous belief if these types of things were problematic authorities would address them in a timely and diligent manner. But we know from things like agent orange and aides, and CFS and too many others to mention, not likely.
 
Messages
296
There has a been a huge outbreak due to monsoon rains of this virus in my home country.

As people were telling me about the symptoms, fatigue, and joint pains that continue years after contraction, my mind flashed to only one thing: post-viral syndrome....

Our local hospital checks for antibodies but there's no treatment or vaccine available yet. Here's the article from the local news:

https://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/2016/...cases-spark-fears-of-outbreak-in-karachi/amp/

And here's another article about CHIK and Lyme disease which I highly recommend reading:
http://danielcameronmd.com/chikungunya-virus-symptoms-can-mimic-lyme-disease/

Damn you, mosquitoes!
 
Messages
296
The first duty of many public health officials seems to be to downplay the severity to avoid panic. In Lake Tahoe for example they had to face many angry comments from the business establishment because the outbreak was scaring away tourists.

AIDS was at first a non-issue.

Its only when confronted with overwhelming disaster that an underwhelming response finally happens, all too often.

Just look at chemical spills or other unexplained outbreaks. Denying existence of problems morphs to denying severity which morphs to denying responsibility. Such behaviour may need special laws, but, sadly, governments all over deny responsibility.

For example, chikungunya has been tested to see if it can be used as a biological weapon. Maybe many diseases spread this way and they don't explain to avoid responsibility.